Race Report – Good Day in London!

Once again the club had runners in the Saucony England Cross-Country Championships last Saturday. This year the event was being held at Parliament Hill North London, having been held in the past two years at Leeds and Alton Towers.

Our contingent of Gordon Irvine, Mark Riches, Andy Rose and Rob Norman acquitted themselves excellently in the huge field of 1,688 runners over the 12k distance.

Gordon running for his first claim club Thames Valley Harriers was once again up there with the top runners, finishing in 273rd place in a time of 42mins 40secs. Further down the field our consistent trio of Mark, Andy and Rob finished within 29 seconds of each other. Mark finished in a time of 52mins 39secs with Andy just nine seconds behind in 52mins 48secs while Rob finished in 53mins and 8secs.

Well done guys you all should be very pleased with your performances and for bringing the Harriers vest among the runners at this prestigious event.

You would think after their efforts they would have been ready for a rest but the following day Andy Rose was on the start line in the Weston 5 mile race at Weston-on-Trent South Derbyshire. Andy in excellent form at the moment was joined by Malcolm Weir on this out and back course. Andy finished in 32nd place in a time of 32mins 31secs and Malcolm 48th in 34mins 14secs in a field of 217 runners.

Northern Region Cross-Country Championship

The Northern’s took place last Saturday with five of our runners making the trip up to Pontefract Racecourse in Yorkshire.  Steph Ilsley was our only lady in the field of 235 runners, over the 8k distance, finishing 98th in a time of 38mins 33secs.
For the men over a distance of 12k, Andy Rose was the first Harrier home in 54mins 16secs. Rob Norman and Mark Riches finished within 8secs of each other with Rob recording 57mins 10secs and Mark in 57mins 18secs.  Steve Meath followed in 63mins 28secs.  These four represented the club in a field of 685 runners.
Well done to all five runners and for keeping the club colours showing at this large regional event.

The final BDL cross-country race takes place on Sunday 12th February at Holmebrook Park, Newbold Chesterfield at 11.00am.  This is a new venue for the league and it would be good to have a stronger presence for the final race.  If you are available and injury free, come have a run on Sunday week.  We will try and organise car-sharing from the Leisure Centre for those who are interested.

Tuesdays 7th, 14th and 28th February, training from Belper Leisure Centre for a 7.30 start.

Tuesday 21st February 10k Handicap at the East Mill on the A6 Belper for a 7.30 start.

Thanks to all who attended the AGM at the Devonshire.  An orderly meeting with many different opinions and various points raised.  Once again thanks to Steve Meath for the comfort of the Devonshire and for the club to prosper even further in 2012.

Malcs XC Race Reports

Rose in Bloom at Wollaton and Shipley!

It was a good weekend for Andy Rose, running in the North Midlands League Cross-Country at Wollaton Park on the Saturday and the following day in the Booth Decorators League at Shipley Park. On the Saturday in cold, frosty but with a bit of sunshine, the last North Midlands race of the winter took place on the picturesque Wollaton Park.  In the ladies race of 6.5k, Steph Ilsley had another fine run to finish 29th and claim first position in her age category.  Steph ran in three of the four races to take her title. The men’s race attracting 205 runners of varying degrees of abilities, some extremely good runners at the front end of the field saw four Harriers on the start line.  The course of 10k, three long laps of the park saw Andy finish in 111th place, in an excellent time of 44mins 2secs while Rob Norman also could be well pleased with his run finishing two minutes further back in 46mins 1sec.  Amer Armoush and Malcolm Weir were the other club runners finishing in 47mins 33secs and 48mins 43sec respectively.   All five of our runners could be pleased with their efforts over a pretty tough course.

The following day on Shipley Park, Heanor Running Club were staging the fourth race of the Booth Decorators cross-country series.  It was good to see Gordon Irvine up with the leaders finishing 5th while Tim Hollings running really well finished 8th. Our next finisher was Andy Rose having another excellent run, to add to his previous days performance, finishing 38th while Jack Dakin had his best race yet for the club finishing 39th.  Dave Horton, Ian Hays, Mark Riches and Craig Allen all ran a consistent race while Phil Butt, Roger Morgan and Geoff Stone all long-standing members of the club could be happy with their performances.  The ever reliable Andy Dakin and Steve Meath completed the team for the men. The ladies were led in by Teresa Hempsall in 78th position and followed by Gemma Irvine and Rosemary Arris.  On the day the club finished fourth in the men’s, ladies and the team category and overall after four races we are sitting fifth in all three groups.

The final race will be at Holmebrook Park Chesterfield on February 12th, a new venue for this competition and for a change the race will not clash with the North Midlands League.  Well done to all twenty-one runners who competed for the club over the weekend.

Malc’s Race Report

Races this Weekend January 14th and 15th

Saturday 14th January: North Midlands X-Country League Wollaton Park Nottingham. Ladies Race 1.25 and Men’s Race 1.55 Sunday 15th January:

Booth Decorators League Shipley Cricket Club Shipley Park. Start 11.00 am.

County Cross-Country Championships

The Christmas and New Year period proved to be quite active for a number of runners from within the club. The first Saturday of the New Year saw the combined Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Cross-Country Championships at Markeaton Park. This year nine of our members took on many of the best runners from the two counties. Steph Ilsley and Gemma Irvine ran in the ladies race of 8,000 metres with Steph finishing in 34mins 4secs and Gemma in 36mins 59secs. In the men’s race of 1000 metres, Gordon Irvine although a second claim runner at Belper, qualified by residence to finish 8th in a time of 35mins 56secs. Further into the field, Jack Daykin finished in 43mins 4secs with Mark Riches, Andy Rose and Rob Norman all finishing within a minute of Jack. Following behind them came Malcolm Weir and Andy Dakin finishing in 46mins 26secs and 46mins 38secs respectively.

After the races the consensus of opinion from all our runners was of being well-satisfied with their performances. A little of icing on the cake for Steph was to win her age group category and along with Gordon could be in the county teams for the Inter-Counties Cross-Country Championships. This year there seemed to be plenty of support from the many spectators which was excellent and well appreciated.

Road Races

There have also been a number of road races held locally over the festive and pre-festive season including the Keyworth Half-Marathon or Turkey Trot. Having gained a good local reputation over the years, this race only 45 minutes from Belper saw Steph Ilsley, Andy Rose and Jason Fores among the 858 runners. Andy and Steph finished very close together, with Andy finishing in 1hr 32min 23secs and Steph just 22 seconds behind. Jason could be well pleased with his time finishing in a highly creditable time of 1hr 54mins 58secs.

The Bolsover 10k had an unusually decent day for the race, as in the last few years it has been unlucky with the weather. The club had six runners in the large field with Edward James recording 37mins 12sec and Andy Parkin 37mins 35secs to put both runners in the top fifty. Gavin Elliott finished in 43mins 45secs while Chris Jackson and Rosemary Arris both recorded times of just under 50 mins. Our final runner to finish was Beth Cooper, nice to see her back running, finished in a few seconds over the hour.

The Boxing Day run at the Furnace pub in Derby is always a friendly fun morning with all the proceeds going to charity. The usual number of between 150 and 160 runners including Phil Conroy, Malcolm Weir, Geoff Stone and Paul Bradley from the Harriers set off over the three mile course. The route which is mainly off-road over Darley Park and Darley Playing Fields always has that festive feel with plenty of spectators watching the race.

The following day was the Queens Head Canter along Crich Lane, an out and back route over 5k. Once again our runners supported this event in the field of 164 runners which consisted of at least two international runners, a double Olympiad and the twice winner of the Derby 10k. As mentioned earlier Dale ran exceptionally well but Edward James performance to finish ninth in 17mins 47secs was also something pleasing. Other runners out were Ron and Steph Ilsley, Sam and Dave Horton, Amer and Jane Armoush, Gavin Elliott, Karl Atton and Steve Meath. It was a beautiful morning and I along with many other spectators enjoyed the spectacle of the race and some good performances from many of the runners.

On to New Years Day and the five mile Hangover race at Whatstandwell over a revised course but unfortunately run in heavy rain. There was certainly no hangover from many of our runners with Tim Hollings and Edward James finishing fifth and sixth. Tim recorded 31mins 24secs and Edward 31mins 35secs. There were good runs from Andy Rose and Ron Ilsley, with Andy finishing in 35mins 16secs and Ron two seconds behind. Jack Daykin and Simon Edwards also finished together with Jack recording 37mins 1sec and Simon five seconds behind. Craig Allen and Phil Butt must have been pleased with their performances while everyone will be pleased to see Saul Taylor back in action after a serious injury. Our final runner was Andy Dakin in an extremely strong contingent of Belper Harriers.

Well done to everyone who took part in these local races over the last few weeks. Hope 2012 is a good year for you all and try to stay fit and healthy.

Malc

X-Country Entries

Just a reminder for two Cross-countries in the New Year. The Northern Cross-country Championships take place at Wakefield on Saturday January 28th and this is an online entry which closes on January 7th.

The National Cross-country Championships take place at Parliament Hill London on Saturday February 25th with a closing date of January 4th.

Both of these races have to be entered through the club and everyone is eligible if they are a first claim member. The entry dates for both races are immediate so if you wish to run give me an email or let me know next Tuesday.
-Malc Weir.

Saucony National Relays

The English National Relays were held at Berry Hill Park Mansfield and the Harriers had four teams on the starting line. We had a ladies team and three men’s teams, three being the maximum number of teams in one category. In heavy rain our runners erected the club tent for the first time and it came in extremely useful.

Since before lunch the younger age group races had been in progress but just after two o’clock it was time for the ladies race. Fortunately the rain had subsided by then but it was going to be very wet over the course. Steph Ilsley led our team of three ladies off, over the distance of 3k, to hand over to Sharon Mellors. Lia Ottosen took over for the final lap, bringing the team home in 74th place. I am sure all three were pleased with their performances especially considering the conditions which were a lot worse than last year when both Steph and Sharon ran. The winners this year were Charnwood AC who was also winners last year.

The men’s race started in its usual gung-ho fashion but our first leg runners, Alex Duthie, Andy Basey and Malcolm Weir all started rather more conservatively, as the distance of 5k is only short but there is still some tough work to be done. Alex handed over to Dale Annable who had a great run, finishing as easily the fastest Harrier. Dale handed over to Tom Moulder who then handed over to Mark Riches to run the final leg for the first team. The team worked hard but just finished outside the top hundred finishing in 105th place.

The second team saw Andy Basey, Andy Rose and Jack Dakin all ran very similar times with Rob Norman just a minute away from the other three. This saw a consistent effort by the team which finished in 137th place.

The third team of Malcolm Weir, Andy Dakin, Rob Pearce and Len Foulk ran their socks off and were rewarded with some good performances in finishing in 155th place. The winners this year in the men’s race were Stockport Harriers who were not regarded as one of the favourites.

Full Results Ladies:
Steph Ilsley 13.24      Sharon Mellors 13.40     Lia Ottosen 14.19

Men:
Alex Duthie  20.48      Dale Annable  18.28      Tom Moulder 20.22     Mark Riches 22.20
Andy Basey 21.12      Andy Rose  21.44           Jack Dakin 21.50        Rob Norman 22.47
Malcolm Weir 23.20   Andy Dakin  24.00           Rob Pearce 25.12      Len Foulk 27.14

Thanks and well done to all the runners who took part to make it a successful although damp day for Belper Harriers.

Back to the X-Country

It must be nearly winter as the cross-country season has started with the Harriers involved in two races over the last two weekends. The weather for both has been more like summer than winter so it is perhaps a gentle introduction to the worsening weather to come.
The first race at Markeaton Park Derby, in the North Midlands League saw twelve of our runners out over three races. In the ladies race over a 6.5k course of two laps our four ladies ran exceptionally well and finished within 52secs and 10 places of each other. Gemma Irvine led the way in 37th place in a time of 29mins 28secs with Steph Ilsley finishing in 41st position, Theresa Hempsall came 44th and Sharon Mellors 47th in 30mins 20secs.
This was a good advert for the club in a really strong field and produced a well earned ninth place in the ladies league.
The men’s race over three laps of 9.7k saw seven of our runners on the starting line. In another strong field Alex Duthie and Chris Hawley worked their way through the field to finish in 69th and 71st places. Dave Horton had a good run to finish in 97th place while Rob Norman and Malcolm Weir battled it out further back to finish in 131st and 140th places. Steve Meath worked hard and put in a strong performance to finish in 171st place while Len Foulk was pleased with his 183rd spot and is looking forward to the next race. These guys’ efforts earned them 12th position in the league placings.
This competition is an ideal opportunity for Sam Horton to run against his contemporaries which he did in the under 15 race over 4.6k. Sam came 24th in a good time of 18mins 27secs, running against some strong lads from the Nott’s and Derby clubs.

Booth Decorators League
The traditional start to the Booths league was once again at Shipley Park from the Visitors Centre. Over the two lap 4.5 mile course the Harriers team of twenty six runners could all be well pleased with their efforts. The combined team came second to the firm favorites Heanor which is a good solid start as usually we are slow starters in the cross-country league. Gordon Irvine led the team in, finishing 5th while Tom Molder finished ninth, especially good to see him back in the Belper vest. Looking down the field there was some good running from our three under 18 year olds. Laurie Illingworth finished 50th and the seventh counter for the men, Jack Daykin 52nd and Adam Illingworth 62nd. Laurie and Adam were making their x-country debuts for the club while Jack finished his highest place yet in the league races. There were other good performances further down from Craig Allen, Matt Harrison, Andy Daykin and making his debut after seven years away from the club Dean Warren. The men’s team finished in fourth place but it was the ladies finishing second which pushed the club to finish second overall.
For the ladies we had Joanne Caborn who was back after a long layoff finishing in 56th place while Gemma Irvine, Theresa Hempsall, Lia Ottosen and Georgina Bestwick completed the ladies team. Well done to all the runners on an excellent start to the season, so try and keep fit as there are plenty of cross-countries to come over the winter. The next Booth Decorators will be at Chaddesden Park Derby on November 13th.

BDL Results -> BDL XC 16102011

On a final note for off-road, Sam Horton went up to Cumbria to represent his school in the English Fell Running Championship over a muddy course of 3 miles with an ascent of 816 metres. Sam finished in 25th place in a time of 24mins 55secs. Well done Sam.

Leicester Marathon
Making their marathon debuts in this race were Lia Ottosen and Matt Harrison. Lia did extremely well finishing the race in 3hrs 37mins while Matt has he admitted before the race had not quite done the mileage training, still finished in a creditable 4hrs 1min.

North Midlands XC League – Final Fixture: Sat. 15th January

To all Harriers,

 

The final installment of the 4-race North Midlands League series takes place next Saturday (January 15th) at Wollaton Park, Nottingham. (The same venue as yesterday’s County Championships).

 

In contrast to the November and December fixtures, this one takes place a little closer to home. However, with the BDL race taking place on the following day, it’s unlikely that we will have a significant number of runners making the trip. However, I am sure that a handful are planning to run. We should have a better idea on Tuesday night (if anyone is looking to share a lift).

 

As usual, five competitors score in the senior men’s race and three in the other races. The ladies races start at 1-25pm, while the men’s races start at 1-55pm.

 

Regards,

Steve

County, Regional and National Cross-Country Championships

County, Regional and National Cross-Country Championships

2011CCEntryForm

To all Harriers,

Each year I receive the details and entry forms for the three key cross-country championships (county, regional and national). Having received the final set of details and forms relating to the National Championships recently, I am now in a position to advise you of the information and entry processes for all three events in one go. This will hopefully help with planning your season and save me bombarding you with three separate e-mails!

Those who have contested these events in previous years can recommend them as a fantastic experience. It’s great to be able to run in these events, while also watching the top runners in action in the various categories. There are also medals for each of the age group categories; and representational honours are at stake…e.g. top placing Derbyshire runners in the combined Derby’s/Notts County Championships will be selected for the televised Inter-Counties/World Trials event, which takes place in March 2011. A number of our runners have excelled themselves and been selected for the Derbyshire team in previous years. So, why not set yourself a challenge by entering for one or more of these major events this cross-country season? I’m sure that we can continue to raise Belper Harriers’ profile through having even more of our members running in these events in 2011!

Please note that although these are essentially individual championships, they also incorporate team competitions. Hopefully, we will be able to register full men’s and ladies teams in all three events – if there are enough individual entrants to do so!

I have listed the relevant details, including the closing dates, below. Please note that the entry methods vary… runners enter individually for the County event, while Club Secretaries must complete the club entries for the men’s and women’s races for the Northerns and the Nationals. Therefore, if you would like to run in either of those two events, please e-mail me by the dates shown below. Although I have the DOBs for most members, please confirm this in your e-mail to allow me to cross check. Please also confirm your age if you are in the masters categories (35 and over for ladies/ 40 and over for men).

1) Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire Cross Country Championships
Venue: Wollaton Park, Nottingham
Date: Sat. Jan. 8th 2011
Mens race: 10K at 12.35pm
Ladies race: 8K at 11-55am
Under 17 boy’s: 6K at 11:30am.
Entry fee: £6 each (payable directly to organisers – see attached form). The fee includes a programme.
Team competition: 5 to score in the Senior Mens race; 4 to score in Masters Mens (combined race); 3 to score in the Senior Womens and Masters Womens race (combined race).
(Only First Claim members count in the team competition).
Closing date: Friday 10th December
Individual runners to post entry form to arrive by above date.

2) Northern Athletics Cross Country Championships
Venue: Herrington Country Park, Sunderland
Date: Sat. Jan. 29th 2011
Mens race: 12K at 3-05pm
Ladies race: 8.2K at 2-15pm
Under 17 boys: 6K at 12-05pm
Entry fee: £5 each (£4 for U17 race) – payable by cheque to Belper Harriers. Pass on to Steve asap.
Team competition: 6 to score in the Senior Mens race; 4 to score in all other races.
(Entries from First Claim members only).
Closing date: Fri. 7th January
E- Mail Steve by: Fri 24th December latest

3) Saucony National Cross Country Championships
Venue: Alton Towers, Staffordshire
Date: Sat. Feb. 19th 2011
Mens race: 12K at 3-00pm
Ladies race: 8K at 2-20pm
Under 17 boys: 6K at 12-35pm
Entry fee: £6 each (payable by cheque to Belper Harriers) – Pass on to Steve asap.
Team competition: 6 to score in the mens race and 4 to score in the womens race. (TBC)
(Entries from First Claim members only).
Closing date: Wed. 5th January
E- Mail Steve by: Fri 24th December latest

Transport arrangements for each event will be communicated at a later date.

Regards,
Steve

ECCA – 2010 Relay Results – 6th November

Thanks very much to everyone who ran (and supported) at Berry Hill yesterday. I really hope that you all enjoyed the experience of taking part in a major national event! (Particularly those who ran in the relays for the first time).

For those who have not accessed the results as yet, the link below will take you to the appropriate page. Note that as well as the ‘Senior Men’ and ‘Senior Women’ results, the ‘Incomplete Senior Men’ and ‘Incomplete Senior Women’ headings also contain the respective fastest legs listings. (You will need to scroll down to view these).

http://englishcrosscountry.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=65&Itemid=72

Note that if you go back one page, you can access results from previous years’ events.

Here are a few comparisons with Belper Harriers’ performances from last year….

Men’s A: This year – 94th out of 140 complete teams in 1:15:23. Last year 109th out of 151 complete teams in 1:16:27.

Men’s B: This year – 118th out of 140 complete teams in 1:20:57. Last year 140th out of 151 complete teams in 1:24:35.

Men’s C: This year – 137th out of 140 complete teams in 1:29:45. Last year – no C team.

Ladies A: This year – 52nd out of 84 complete teams in 38:35. Last year 51st out of 85 complete teams in 37:42

Ladies B: This year – no B team. Last year 75th out of 85 complete teams in 42:43.

Congratulations to the following Belper athletes, who competed last year, and beat their previous times yesterday…

Gemma Irvine – 53 seconds faster (3K)

Steph Ilsley – 9 seconds faster (3K)

Dale Annable – 57 seconds faster (5K)

Mark Riches – 22 seconds faster (5K)

Thanks,
Steve